Haitians lost their their homes and crops to Hurricane Matthew – now they face cholera

Two weeks after Hurricane Matthew tore through Haiti, killing about 1,000 people, the scale of the humanitarian disaster on the impoverished Caribbean island is becoming clear. More than 1.4 million people are in need of aid, including 175,000 who lost their homes and crops.

A child walks through a school that was destroyed when Hurricane Matthew hit the commune of Chadonyer, in Les CayesHector Retamal/AFPPeople stand inside a classroom at a school that was destroyed during Hurricane Matthew in the commune of Chadonyer, in Les CayesHector Retamal/AFPPeople walk down a street in Jeremie littered with debrisCarlos Garcia Rawlins/ReutersPeople walk between hurricane-damaged houses in the town of JeremieCarlos Garcia Rawlins/ReutersPeople sit inside their house in Jeremie after it was destroyed by Hurricane MatthewCarlos Garcia Rawlins/ReutersPeople gather for a service in a church that was damaged by Hurricane Matthew, in the commune of Roche-a-Bateaux, in Les CayesHector Retamal/AFPThe congregation prays inside a church that was damaged by Hurricane Matthew, in the commune of Roche-a-Bateaux, in Les CayesHector Retamal/AFP

Haitian and international agricultural officials say it could take a decade or more for the southwestern peninsula to recover economically from Hurricane Matthew. The area's population is almost completely dependent on farming and fishing. In the Grand-Anse region, nearly 100 percent of crops and 50 percent of livestock were destroyed, according to the World Food Programme. On the outskirts of Les Cayes, more than 90 percent of crops were lost and the fishing industry was "paralysed" as material and equipment washed away, the organisation said.

The storm disrupted power, communications and transport links. Essential relief supplies such as roofing, food and medicines have been slow to reach many areas, prompting locals to blockade roads to try to stop passing trucks. Desperate for relief from hunger and sickness, many Haitians express their frustration — sometimes violently — at the lengthy delays for aid deliveries. A number of skirmishes have broken out as Haitians in hard-hit areas seek emergency aid distributed by international and local organisations.

Huge crowds wait for aid to be unloaded from a Dutch naval vessel in JeremieCarlos Garcia Rawlins/ReutersResidents try to get a sack of rice after a distribution was postponed in Saint Jean du SudAndres Martinez Casares/ReutersResidents ask for food at the end of a food distribution operation in Saint Jean du SudAndres Martinez Casares/ReutersPeople fight for food after grabbing it from a truck in JeremieCarlos Garcia Rawlins/ReutersPeople wait for food to be delivered by the UN's World Food Programme in the commune of Maniche, in Les CayesHector Retamal/AFPPeople wait for food to be distributed by the UN's World Food Programme in the commune of Maniche, in Les CayesHector Retamal/AFP

In addition, the country is facing a public health crisis as cholera gallops through rural communities lacking clean water, food and shelter. The wreckage left behind by the hurricane created perfect conditions for spreading the waterborne disease. floods swept through rural communities, taking with them bacteria from open latrines. Cholera is contracted by drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food. It has a short incubation period, which leads to rapid outbreaks. It causes severe diarrhoea and can kill within hours if untreated.

A child showing cholera symptoms is treated at a hospital in JeremieCarlos Garcia Rawlins/ReutersPatients are treated for cholera at a hospital in JeremieCarlos Garcia Rawlins/ReutersA patient with cholera symptoms receives medical atention of MSF Médecins Sans Frontières, at a hospital in Port-a-PimentHector Retamal/AFPA woman receives treatment for cholera at a hospital in Les AnglaisAndres Martinez Casares/Reuters

Cholera was introduced to Haiti accidentally by UN peacekeepers who dumped sewage into a river. The disease was unknown in Haiti until 2010. Multiple scientific studies have traced the outbreak to a base used by Nepalese peacekeepers and the strain of cholera is virtually identical to one endemic in Nepal. This original outbreak has since killed more than 9,000. The UN only acknowledged role in introducing cholera to Haiti in August, following a leaked internal report.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon walks with his wife during his visit to a shelter at the Lycee Philippe Guerrier in Les CayesCarlos Garcia Rawlins/ReutersBrazilian peacekeepers secure the area before UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visits a shelter in Les CayesCarlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

At one point UN officials said they were seeking about $181 million (£147m) for a special fund designed to help Haiti overcome cholera and build stronger water, sanitation and health systems. However, Ban mentioned no figures as he vowed to help the families of victims and "prevent and stop this cholera epidemic" by mobilising more UN resources. He expressed disappointment that international funding to fight cholera in Haiti is so far falling far short.

"I know that the world economic situation is not favourable, and I know that there is some donor fatigue by certain countries," he said at the end of his brief visit.